The Palmer Correctional Center is located at mile 58 of the Glenn Highway, and was put under an evacuation advisory due to its proximity to the fire, according to McDonald. Five buses were staged there in case an evacuation was ordered.

Just before 5 p.m., the Department of Corrections moved the inmates to other correctional facilities in Southcentral Alaska, according to DOC spokesman Corey Allen Young. He said the building housing the inmates is being repurposed by the state for other uses, and the inmates were scheduled to move in a few weeks anyway. Rather than wasting extra money by evacuating and then returning the inmates ahead of the planned move, Young said the decision was made to move them permanently before an evacuation could be ordered. He said there were just over 200 inmates in the facility, which is now empty.

If you had a loved one still at Palmer Correctional while they continue to phase down, please be advised they have all now been relocated, primarily to Goose Creek Correctional Center. No one remains at Palmer Correctional as a precaution for the nearby fire and to further the closing of that facility.